Zambia: Project Director, Scaling Up HIV Laboratory Services (Zambia)

Position Description: Founded in 1961, Project Concern International (PCI) is an international non-profit organization that empowers people to enhance health, end hunger, and overcome hardship. Last year, PCI served more than 19 million people in 15 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. During the past 50 years, the organization has served millions more in 14 additional countries. PCI has been active in the HIV/AIDS response since the early 1990s, and its current portfolio spans the range of prevention, care and treatment interventions in several countries. Worldwide, PCI has implemented 17 major HIV/AIDS-related programs funded by PEPFAR through several USG agencies – CDC, DoD, other DHHS agencies, and the US Agency for International Development – and in collaboration with hundreds of local, national and international organizations and partner agencies. PCI began operations in Zambia in 1996 and has a strong reputation in country for its integrated, HIV/AIDS programming. PCI is recruiting for a Project Director (PD) to lead an anticipated five-year, $25 million, project funded by the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This project will scale-up laboratory systems in Zambia and address barriers to access and uptake of HIV viral load (VL) testing within the pre-analytical, analytical, and post analytical phase of the VL cascade, including weaknesses in demand creation, sample referral systems, procurement, optimization of testing capacity, return and uptake of results, and monitoring and evaluation of the cascade for improvements, in line with the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals. The same activities will also provide capacity for early infant diagnosis (EID) of children from HIV positive mothers and other HIV related laboratory services. The project will ensure the establishment of fully functional HIV laboratories operating at capacity, including the provision of the qualified staff, ancillary equipment and assistance in implementation of a quality management system (QMS). Additionally, the project will support and improve the sample referral system from specimen collection, processing, adequate handling and storage as well as transportation to the laboratories. Other activities will focus on universal availability of HIV related laboratory tests, national quality oversight of HIV testing, and increasing awareness of VL/EID testing to ensure maximum coverage. The PD is responsible for the overall implementation of the project, and s/he provides technical and administrative supervision to the project. The PD will oversee coordination with key stakeholders (including the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), civil society, the private sector, and others) and lead preparation and oversite of any subawards. Additionally, the PD will be responsible for communications with CDC, for publicly representing the project, and for liaising with the Ministry of Health (MOH);, central, provincial and district hospitals; district health offices; and other institutions/stakeholders.